Identifying Critical Safety Issues in Concrete Floors

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Identifying Critical Safety Issues In Concrete
Floors
4 Floors
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Safety First
Whether its a store, a public building, or a
hospital, having safe floors is important. Slip
and fall hazards are leading causes of injury and
can carry high costs in terms of workers
compensation, medical bills, and litigation.
Eliminating slip and fall hazards, like loose
cords and frayed rugs, is important, but making
sure the floor itself is safe is also vital to
minimizing risk.
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Polished Concrete
Improperly polished concrete floors can be a
hazard because they can often have little slip
resistance. Professional floor evaluation
services can check your floors and equipment and
make suggestions to ensure that your floors have
sufficient slip resistance to prevent slips and
falls.
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Wood Dividers
Wood dividers in concrete can pose a trip hazard,
particularly if there is too much space between
the divider and the concrete. Even properly
constructed concrete floors with wood dividers
can become dangerous over time if the wood and
the concrete begin to separate. Filing in these
gaps can help mitigate the risk.
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Moisture Issues
Excessive moisture can be a major slip and fall
hazard. Floors should be regularly evaluated to
see if there are problem areas where leaks or
moisture accumulation are common. Low spots on
floors, areas under roof leaks, or areas of a
floor near equipment producing condensation can
develop moisture issues posing a serious risk.
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Stair Nosing
Stair nosing helps to prevent falls by creating
additional slip resistance on stairs. When stair
nosing becomes worn or damaged, it becomes a
hazard, as people can trip on loose material or
slip on stairs that dont have the slip
resistance the stair nosing formerly provided.
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Plasticizer Problems
Plasticizer that migrates out of vinyl or other
tile covering a concrete floor may create bumps
or divots in the floor that can contribute to a
slip and fall hazard. Professional evaluators can
examine your floors, determine if plasticizer
migration is occurring and suggest ways to
mitigate the problem.
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Rubber
Rubber flooring placed over the wrong patching
material can cause the flooring to rise up and
pose slip and fall hazards.
Agglomerated Stone
Agglomerated stone exposed to moisture can have
very little slip resistance, making people more
prone to slip and fall injuries.
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How 4 Floors Can Help

• 4 Floors can help businesses, organizations, and
  individuals by
• Improving safety and limiting liability by
  identifying flooring hazards and suggesting
  strategies for mitigation.
• Testifying on behalf of plaintiffs in cases where
  a floor hazard contributed to injury.
• Testifying on behalf of defendants in cases where
  falls happened but adequate care was taken to
  prevent falls.

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About 4 Floors
4 Floors provides forensic slip and fall
investigative services to a variety of businesses
and organizations. 4 Floors can help establish
the facts in a slip and fall matter, better
arming clients with the information they need to
prevail in court. 4 Floors clientele is half
plaintiffs, half defendants. To learn more,
visit http//www.4floors.com/ or call
818-991-4300.